Bellator 214 scored an overall rating of 697,000 viewers on Saturday night. The Fedor-Ryan Bader showdown drew 1.2 million viewers on the telecast.
Bellator 214 took place at The Forum in Inglewood, California. It featured the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix with the promotion’s Light Heavyweight Champion winning the Heavyweight Championship.
Also on the card, Jaker Hager (aka Jack Swagger) defeated J.W. Kiser in the first round via submission. The bout drew 809,000 viewers. Aaron Pico’s surprising KO loss to Henry Corrales drew 808,000 viewers.
It was a busy night for sports on Saturday with PBC on Fox, Showtime’s replay of Pacquiao-Broner and the NBA on ABC and the NHL All-Star Game.
Payout Perspective:
The ratings are the best for Bellator since last January when Chael Sonnen faced Rampage Jackson at the beginning of the Heavyweight Grand Prix. It should be noted that the top 3 fights lasted less than a round. The Fedor-Bader matchup which drew over 1 million viewers was just 35 seconds. Yet, the ratings show that there is an audience that is either looking for a UFC alternative or has been trained to look for MMA on Saturdays. The good news is that Bader proved himself a star and Hager’s performance showed that he is a legit threat in the heavyweight division although we have yet to see his chin. Perhaps the only bad news is the loss of Aaron Pico, a fighter the promotion had hoped it could promote as a superstar. It still can but his fight style might need a quick rehab.
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